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The global transport of dust: An intercontinental river of dust, microorganisms and toxic chemicals flows through the Earth's atmosphere

December 31, 2002

The coral reefs in the Caribbean have been deteriorating since the 1970s, and no one is quite sure why. Such environmental devastation is usually blamed on Homo sapiens, but that doesn’t seem to be what’s going on here. Recently, some scientists at the USGS think they’ve solved the puzzle: Bacteria and fungi have been hitching trans-Atlantic rides on dust from the Sahara desert and settling into the warm waters of the Caribbean. Microbiologist Dale Griffin and his colleagues make the case for this hypothesis and explore the dangers of dust and microbe transport across the globe.

Publication Year 2002
Title The global transport of dust: An intercontinental river of dust, microorganisms and toxic chemicals flows through the Earth's atmosphere
DOI 10.1511/2002.3.228
Authors Dale Griffin, Christina Kellogg, Virginia Garrison, Eugene Shinn
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title American Scientist
Index ID 70185159
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center